Time and Money

Picking a few stylish clocks for the August issue of GQ involved poring over scores of them, large and small, practical and preposterous. But it wasn't until I started researching a classic Castiglioni clock that I realized something glaringly obvious: On clock dials with Roman numerals, the number four is often spelled "IIII" instead of "IV." Here's the Firenze Clock, designed by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni:

The use of "IIII," it turns out, is actually quite common. One popular explanation is that the heaviness of four solid strokes provides a better balance to the weighty "VIII" that sits across from it on the dial. If you're interested, the British Horological Society (I wonder what their meetings are like) posts other theories of how the spelling came to be.

Being so immersed in clocks also got me wondering about their origins. According to Neil Postman, the clock was invented by Benedictine monks, who sought a more precise way to practice their their strict prayer regimen. In the intervening 800 years, the clock has become the foundation of modern life as we know it. As Postman explains in an amazing speech (very worth the read) that he delivered to the German Informatics Society (they play softball with the British horologists every Tuesday):

"The mechanical clock made possible the idea of regular production, regular working hours, and a standardized product. Without the clock, capitalism would have been quite impossible. And so, here is a great paradox: the clock was invented by men who wanted to devote themselves more rigorously to God; and it ended as the technology of greatest use to men who wished to devote themselves to the accumulation of money."

Granted, a devotion to the accumulation of money doesn't hurt if you want to get your hands on today's more stylish timepieces, but we kept an eye out for regular guys, too. The clocks in our lineup range from $22 to $325.